HNC Delegation Arrives in Geneva Monday to Participate in New Round of Negotiations

The delegation of the opposition’s High Negotiations Committee (HNC) headed by Nasr Al-Hariri arrived in Geneva on Monday to participate in a new round of UN-led talks due to begin on Tuesday. Negotiations are aimed at achieving a political solution in Syria in accordance with UN resolutions on Syria.

Syrian Coalition officials said that the second expanded meeting of the Syrian opposition which concluded in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Thursday was a success as it achieved its goals.

Head of the HNC delegation Nasr al-Hariri stressed that the forces representing the revolution have united themselves and can now begin direct negotiations with the Assad regime in order to put in place political transition in line with UN resolutions.

Hariri told a news conference in Riyadh Friday that the opposition was going to Geneva to hold direct talks and was ready to discuss “everything on the negotiating table.”

The European Union congratulated the Syrian opposition and Hariri as it praised “Saudi Arabia's successful efforts in hosting the conference,” describing these efforts as “instrumental.”

In a statement released on Saturday, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said that the Syrian opposition’s adoption of a joint declaration creating a united delegation for the UN-led intra-Syrian talks “represents an important milestone for the process to move into real negotiations between the two parties.”

Mogherini pointed out that the EU “looks forward to the next round in Geneva with the strong hope that the way is now paved for concrete decisions between the Syrian parties including on transitional governance, a constitutional process and UN-supervised free and fair elections.”

“In Syria, the fighting is not over. The humanitarian situation is deteriorating. Attacks on civilians, as seen recently in Atareb and Eastern Ghouta have to stop. Obstacles to humanitarian access across Syria have to be removed,” Mogherini added.

The final communique of the Syrian opposition conference in Riyadh stressed that there should be no place for Assad and his clique at the start of the political transition in Syria. Participants in the meeting reaffirmed commitment to the fundamental principles of the Syrian revolution and the Syrian people’s rights to regaining freedom and dignity. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)